BRUSSELS
The share of energy from renewable sources in total energy use reached 15.0 percent in the EU, compared with 8.3 percent in 2004, the European Statistical Agency said in a statement on Tuesday.
The EU is targeting a share of 20 percent of energy from renewable sources in gross final consumption of energy by 2020.
Renewable energy sources cover solar thermal and photovoltaic energy, hydro including tide, wave and ocean energy, wind, geothermal energy and all forms of biomass, including biological waste and liquid biofuels.
While each EU member state has its own 2020 target, three member states have reached their goals: Bulgaria, Estonia and Sweden.
In 2013, Sweden had the highest share (52.1 percent) of energy from renewable sources in its gross final consumption of energy, ahead of Latvia with 37.1 percent and Finland with 36.8 percent.
The lowest proportions of renewables were found in Luxembourg with 3.6 percent, Malta with 3.8 percent, the Netherlands with 4.5 percent and the United Kingdom with 5.1 percent.
Eurostat’s figures came more than a week after the EU announced its energy union strategy as part of the bloc's attempts to reduce its energy dependency on external states, including Russia.
Russia is the main supplier of gas to the EU. The energy union seeks to bring together internal energy supplies, to free the EU from dependence on Russia amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and sanctions imposed by the west against key figures in the Russian establishment.
The EU, the largest energy importer in the world, imports 53 percent of its energy at an annual cost of around €400 billion ($430 billion), according to Eurostat.
